Stallings v. Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway

210 F. Supp. 3d 1270, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 140332, 2016 WL 6404773
CourtDistrict Court, D. New Mexico
DecidedSeptember 26, 2016
DocketNo. CIV 15-1014 JB/WPL
StatusPublished

This text of 210 F. Supp. 3d 1270 (Stallings v. Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. New Mexico primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Stallings v. Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, 210 F. Supp. 3d 1270, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 140332, 2016 WL 6404773 (D.N.M. 2016).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION1

James O. Browning, United States District Judge

THIS MATTER comes before the Court on Defendant BNSF Railway Company’s Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(B)(1) Motion to Dismiss for Lack of Subject-Matter Jurisdiction and Memorandum Brief in Support Thereof, filed January 7, 2016 (Doc. 13)(“Motion to Dismiss”). The Court held a hearing on April 12, 2016. The primary issue—with respect to a decision by a Public Law Board (“PL Board”) affirming the termination of Plaintiff Aaron Stallings’ employment with Defendant Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway2—is whether Stallings has alleged: (i) the PL Board’s failure to comply with the requirements of the Railway Labor Act, 45 U.S.C. §§ 151-65; (ii) the PL Board’s failure to conform or confine itself to matters within the scope of its jurisdiction; or (iii) a PL Board member’s fraud or corruption. Those three scenarios are the only scenarios for which the Railway Labor Act confers jurisdiction on federal courts to review and reverse PL Board decisions. See 45 U.S.C. § 153(q). Here, Stallings’ allegations do not meet that narrow grant of jurisdiction, because [1273]*1273he is arguing that the PL Board improperly weighed the evidence in his case by virtue of its supposed reliance on excluded evidence. See Stallings’ Response to Motion to Dismiss for Lack of Subject Matter Jurisdiction, and Consolidated Memorandum at 2, filed February 19, 2016 (Doc. 20)(“Response”). That argument does not sound in one of the three scenarios under which a federal court may review a PL Board’s order, leaving the Court without jurisdiction. See Kinross v. Utah Ry. Co., 362 F.3d 658, 661-63 (10th Cir. 2004). Accordingly, the Court grants Defendant BNSF Railway’s Motion to Dismiss.

FACTUAL BACKGROUND

Stallings, a former BNSF Railway worker and employee, seeks to vacate a PL Board order upholding his March 18, 2013, dismissal from the company following his alleged involvement in a kickback scheme. See Petition to Vacate the Order of Public Law Board No. 7590, Case No. 27, filed November 6, 2015 (Doc. 1)(“Complaint”). The Court draws the facts from Stallings’ Complaint.

BNSF Railway employed Stallings for eight years as a trackman, truck driver, and machine operator throughout New Mexico and Texas. See Complaint ¶ 6, at 2. He then spent his last ten years of employment with BNSF Railway as a flange lubricator and maintainer. See Complaint ¶ 6, at 2. In that capacity, Stallings would maintain and service his company vehicle at Jaramillo Fleet Services in Belen, New Mexico. See Complaint ¶ 7, at 2. Beginning in 2012, a person called Joshua Garcia worked as the front desk clerk for Jaramil-lo Fleet Services. See Complaint ¶ 7, at 2. Garcia handled Jaramillo Fleet Services’ invoices and company records. See Complaint ¶ 8, at 2.

Stallings spoke with the appropriate persons at BNSF Railway so that Garcia’s “mobile vehicle washing service,” “Ameri-clean,” could become an approved BNSF Railway services vendor. Complaint ¶ 9, at 3. “Americlean” became an approved services vendor to the contractor that BNSF Railway uses to manage its fleet of vehicles. See Complaint ¶ 9, at 3. In February of 2013, Stallings was informed that he was under investigation as a co-conspirator in a kickback scheme to defraud BNSF Railway—a scheme that Garcia had already admitted to undertaking. See Complaint ¶¶ 11-12, at 3. A February 13, 2013, notice of investigation charged:

Alleged misconduct involving the misuse of a BNSF credit account by providing BNSF vehicle IDs to American Clean, who in turn charged [BNSF’s contractor] for work performed, after payment was received by American Clean, you allegedly received a portion of the reimbursement to American Clean in the amount of approximately $9,350.00 ... for approximately the past four (4) months. BNSF[’s] first knowledge was Wednesday, February 13, 2013.

Complaint ¶ 18, at 4. The eventual March 18, 2013, notice of Stallings’ dismissal reiterated that same charge. See Complaint ¶ 18, at 4.

BNSF Railway held a formal hearing on February 21, 2013, “for the purpose of ascertaining the facts and determining [Stallings] responsibility, if any, in connection with Garcia’s scheme to defraud ... BNSF via its contractor....” Complaint 1117, at 4 (alterations in original)(intemal quotation marks omitted). A BNSF Railway investigator presented an expansive case against Stallings, detailing numerous allegations of both his involvement with “Americlean” and its fraud upon BNSF Railway. Complaint ¶¶ 20, 25, at 5, 6. “The balance of evidence presented against Stallings consisted of documents purporting to detail [a] several month investigation, ... [a] videotaped interview with [1274]*1274Stallings,” and a videotaped interview with Garcia. Complaint ¶¶ 19, 20, at 4, 5. Stall-ings contends that some of the evidence presented against him implicated unnoticed charges. See Complaint ¶ 25, at 6. The Complaint memorializes that Stallings also took issue with his inability to (i) review the evidence against him before his hearing, or (ii) cross examine Garcia at the hearing. See Complaint ¶¶ 19, 21, at 4, 5. On the evidence presented at the hearing, BNSF Railway dismissed Stallings. See Complaint ¶ 2, at 1.

In accordance with the Railway Labor Act, and the relevant collective bargaining agreement, the PL Board reviewed BNSF Railway’s decision to dismiss Stallings. See Complaint ¶ 34, at 9. The PL Board, one of many national boards that exist to “ensure substantial evidence exists to sustain” findings against railroad employees, affirmed Stallings’ dismissal. Complaint ¶ 6, at 2. It did so despite choosing to exclude from its consideration Garcia’s taped testimony that was played at the hearing, and which implicated Stallings. See Complaint ¶ 6, at 2.

PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

Following the PL Board’s affirmance, Stallings filed his Complaint alleging that the Court must vacate the PL Board’s decision, arguing that, in the absence of Garcia’s excluded testimony, there was insufficient evidence to support BNSF Rah-way’s termination of his employment. See Complaint ¶ 57, at 15. Essentially, then, given the allegedly minimal process afforded to him at the hearing—and the subsequent choice of the Board to exclude Garcia’s testimony—Stallings claims that the Board’s decision “lacked a foundation in reason or fact.” Response at 1, 2. That, Stallings contends, is grounds for reversal and remand because such a decision violates the Railway Labor Act and because Stallings was “denied the right to be heard in a meaningful manner [as is] guaranteed by the Constitution.” Response at 1, 2. Stallings thus requests that this Court review the PL Board’s order for both a statutory violation of the Railway Labor Act and the lack of due process afforded to him by the PL Board’s review of his case. See Response at 1, 2.

1. The Motion to Dismiss.

In response to Stallings’ Complaint, BNSF Railway filed its Motion to Dismiss. See Motion to Dismiss at 1.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
210 F. Supp. 3d 1270, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 140332, 2016 WL 6404773, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/stallings-v-burlington-northern-santa-fe-railway-nmd-2016.